Team Herald
MARGAO: The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) at the emergency meeting held on Friday over the Sonsoddo issue has resolved to write to the Government with a proposal asking for scientific backup for Solid Waste Management from Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) for the running of the plant. The MMC has two options either the Goa Waste Management Corporation takes over the plant or MMC itself does the job.
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Fomento had, on February 12, written a letter to the MMC stating that it was leaving the plant. The MMC faces a challenge of carting away the untreated waste inside the plant and also to keep the regular operation of waste treatment going.
MMC Chief Officer Ajit Panchwadkar, while reading out the chronology of events over the Sonsoddo plant issue, said, “On January 18, Fomento gave a termination notice. Nothing on record to say that the Council has taken action on that. Final termination was given but MMC has no record of action taken in June too.”
Councillors alleged that the MMC has not decided anything on termination and ended up paying Rs 1 lakh per day to Fomento.
The Chief Officer said, “We had asked for records from Fomento of the garbage received by them at the plant for last 1 year and how it is treated and how the inert is removed. They (Fomento) wrote a funny letter to us stating they are not responsible as the concession is terminated. We don’t have any record of the garbage sent in the last 1 year,” said Panchwadkar.
The Council was unanimous on the fact that they have done their best to handle the issue but don’t have any expertise for handling garbage immediately now.
“We discussed the matter with Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA). We need scientific backup. We will take a decision to send a proposal to government that MMC is willing to act as per the advice of the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC). If the government is taking over the plant we will let them go by their rules and conditions,” resolved the MMC.
The Council also said that if DMA proposed outsourcing the facility they will do that. The MMC has also decided to cart away the garbage and stack it at the landfill site besides the plant. “Rs 1 crore which has been given to GWMC in connection with the landfill will be asked to return back. We store the garbage for now and will remove it before monsoons,” said the Chief Officer.
The Administration has also informed that by the end of February no dry waste will go to Sonsoddo as the baling sites and machines are ready and can handle 22 tonnes per day together. The Bio-Methanation plant for wet waste of 5 tonnes per day is tendered under the 14th Finance Funds.
Fatorda MLA and Former Deputy CM Vijai Sardesai has called the exit of Fomento ‘good’. He said, “The Chief Officer has to be ready with a plan now and hell shouldn’t break loose after the exit of Fomento. If the Bio-Methanation plant came earlier the problem of wet waste would have been taken care of but they only did time-pass.”
Meanwhile Councillors from the opposition benches demanded an inquiry in the purchase of bags at a cost for the transportation of dry waste. They have also demanded answers from the administration as well as the ruling chair.
